Photo Courtesy of 3M
Three Queens residents have been arrested for allegedly selling 1,000 R95 medical masks at 10-times the regular price.
By Forum Staff
Three borough men have been arrested for allegedly selling 1,000 medical masks at 10-times the regular price, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Monday.
Yuriy Borukhov, 33, Maisey Khovasov, 23, and Michael Borukhov, 23, were issued desk appearance tickets and ordered to appear in court on Aug. 15. At that time, the defendants will be formally charged with a City Administrative Code violation.
Last month, the City Department of Consumer Affairs enacted an emergency rule declaring price gouging unconscionable for a merchant to sell or offer goods or services with an excessive price increase during an imminent threat to public health.
According to the charges, an undercover detective with the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force posing as a buyer responded to an online advertisement offering 1,000 face masks for $10 each. After approximately two weeks of trading text messages, a meet was set up for the morning of Friday, April 17. The “buyer” met Yuriy Borukhov and Khavasov at a designated spot in Queens shortly after 10 a.m. One of the men asked the undercover detective if he was there to buy masks. And when the “buyer” confirmed, a third man, Michael Borukhov approached and they all walked toward a waiting Chrysler automobile.
According to the charges, Michael Borokhov allegedly opened the car’s trunk and produced two boxes containing 240 R95 face masks made by 3M. Moments later, the undercover detective gave the three men $10,000 in cash. The three men were promptly arrested for price gouging. Law enforcement allegedly recovered another 820 R95 masks in the same Chrysler.
“We are in the midst of a global pandemic. Thousands of people have died and medical workers do not have enough personal protection equipment to do their jobs safely. The governor and mayor have mandated that all people wear masks in public. Sadly, these three men allegedly thought about pocketing a profit as a result of the coronavirus outbreak by price gouging,” Katz said. “This is unconscionable and will not stand in Queens County.”
Face masks such as the ones the defendants were allegedly peddling normally sell for up to $1 each, Katz noted.
“Exploiting peoples’ need to protect themselves for personal gain is always wrong,” Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said. “It is unconscionable in an ongoing pandemic, when everyone from healthcare providers to police officers to everyday New Yorkers needs this lifesaving equipment, and I commend our detectives and law enforcement partners for working together to discover and end this scam.”
U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Philip Bartlett added, “This global pandemic represents trying times for everyone; especially those who are fighting on the front lines protecting the citizens of this great country. During a crisis of this magnitude, we must come together as a country to fight this common enemy. Unfortunately, these three individuals chose to use this opportunity to make money price gouging PPE. Their conduct is shameful and un-American.”
